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According to the demographer David Barrett, there were roughly 34,000 Christian denominations at the beginning of the 21st century, a total projected to reach 62,000 by the year 2025. And as Barrett would be the first to acknowledge, given the looseness of denomination as a category, no one knows how big the numbers really are: Someone is probably starting a new denomination right down the street from you at this very moment, while another existing church body is splitting in two.

Mr. Wilson is the editor of Books & Culture, a bimonthly review. He is also the editor of the Best Christian Writing series, the most recent volume of which is The Best Christian Writing 2004 (Jossey-Bass).

About the Author

John Wilson

John Wilson is a senior editor of the Marginalia Review of Books.

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According to the demographer David Barrett, there were roughly 34,000 Christian denominations at the beginning of the 21st century, a total projected to reach 62,000 by the year 2025. And as Barrett would be the first to acknowledge, given the looseness of denomination as a category, no one knows how big the numbers really are: Someone is probably starting a new denomination right down the street from you at this very moment, while another existing church body is splitting in two.

Mr. Wilson is the editor of Books & Culture, a bimonthly review. He is also the editor of the Best Christian Writing series, the most recent volume of which is The Best Christian Writing 2004 (Jossey-Bass).